Licence review for shop over vapes and alcohol

Council officers found illegal cigarettes and oversized vapes during one visit, a report said

A shop could lose its licence after being caught with illegal vapes and cigarettes, and selling alcohol without permission.

Bobbies News and Off Licence in Prestwood Road, Wolverhampton, will face a review hearing by the council on 6 August.

According to the council's records, the shop has not had a named supervisor since 2023 which meant it was not permitted to sell alcohol. The store's licence was also not on display, the council said.

The council said current owner, Manjit Singh Dhillon, had told the authority the cigarettes found during a search were duty free and had been bought by his son on holiday, and that his son was in the process of getting a new copy of the licence.

A report published ahead of the meeting said the shop's licence had been transferred tor Mr Dhillon in 2019 with Kokila Keshavbhai Patel listed as supervisor.

But Mr Patel withdrew consent in 2023 which meant alcohol could not be served from the shop in Heath Town until a new supervisor was appointed.

The council said that officers found the shop's licence was not on display and could not be found by Mr Dhillon during several visits.

A report by Wolverhampton trading standards said a licensing officer returned a week after a visit to find alcohol was still on display, despite an earlier warning.

At another inspection in April, officers found 24 packets of illegal cigarettes and more than 130 oversized vapes.

The review has been pushed by trading standards which has asked the committee to consider revoking the licence when it meets in August.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.